“Cole, don’t. Not here. He’s not worth it.”
I know she’s talking, but I am focused on this guy. When she steps in front of me and puts her hands on my chest, I finally look into her eyes. They are wild and scared. Getting into this with Angelo would put a huge target on my back. A target I don’t fucking need. From what Asher told me, Angelo isn’t the brightest crayon in the box. His brother, Frankie, runs things. Angelo is the muscle and just follows blindly, doing whatever Frankie says.
J moves her hand from my chest and touches my cheek. “Please, Cole…”
I grab her hand from my cheek and kiss her palm. I take a step around J to get right in the guy’s face. “It’s your lucky day, buddy. She just saved your pathetic fucking life.”
“Who is this guy, J? You fucking him? Do you think about me when you do?” The blonde guy standing to the side of Angelo asks, a smirk on his face.
All the pieces click together. This is her ex, Justin. What a fucking asshole. I can see why no one liked him.
“Fuck you, Justin. Why won’t you just leave me alone?”
“A friend of mine wanted me to check on you after your little… What did he call it? Accident? Yeah, your accident. How are you? Your face looks less swollen.”
J stiffens. I move toward him faster than she can stop me. “Tell your fucking friend if he’s got a problem, he can see me about it. What kind of trash beats a woman? Do they think they are tough guys because they can intimate her?”
“Oh, I’ll make sure they get your message, Cole. Looks like prison made you into a bad ass.”
“What the fuck?” I say as Justin walks out the door.
What the hell? How does he know about me? I’ve never see that fucking guy or the DiMarcos before. I feel J’s eyes on me.
DiMarco laughs again. “Oh, the look on your face is priceless, Cole. Don’t you think we did our homework? We know exactly who is working for Zona.” He looks at J. “Do you?” When he smiles at her again, I want to shove my fist down his fucking throat. “Tell your dear daddy my brother and I send our love.” He laughs as he walks out the door.
My hands fisted at my sides, my breathing heavy, everyone in the place is staring at me, whispering to each other. I grab J’s arm and push her toward the door. “Let’s go. We need to fucking talk.”
“We will.” She walks out the door, then stops in the middle of the parking lot. “What the fuck was that about, Cole?”
“Get in the Jeep, J.”
“Cole?”
“Damn it, J. For once in your fucking life, will you please listen to someone else? Get in the fucking Jeep!”
Her eyes go wide. Her mouth opens like she wants to say something else, but she shuts it and walks to the driver’s side. I take a few deep breaths, calming myself before getting in. I am about ready to lose it.
She just sits in the driver’s seat, staring out of the windshield. I can tell she’s scared, but is it of me?
“So that was Justin?”
She wraps her hands around the steering wheel. “Yeah.”
“You want to tell me why just the sight of him scared the hell out of you?”
“No.”
“Try again, J.”
“Cole, I don’t like talking about this. I don’t do it…ever.”
“Justin is somehow mixed up with the DiMarcos. We need to figure out why?”
“We can’t have this conversation here.” She looks around.
“Then let’s go to my house. It’s only a few blocks away.” Sighing, she nods.
We’re silent for the whole drive. Pulling her Jeep into my driveway, she glances over at me before she gets out. There is so much pain and defeat in her eyes. I want to pull her close and not let go. We walk through the door and she heads for the one of the couches. I reset the alarm and walk into the kitchen, grabbing two bottles of water.
I sit beside her and hand her one, waiting for her to start. I’m learning J can’t be pushed. She’ll talk when she’s ready. I watch as she unties and kicks off her boots, pulling her feet up and wrapping her arm around her knees. Just when I am about to say something, she takes a deep breath.
“I told you a little about Justin before. We were together for about a year. It all started great. He was attentive and put me first…for a while. When we moved in together, things started to change. He became controlling, possessive, mean. The first time he hit me…” She shrugs. My body vibrates with anger. If I had known that man laid his hands on J, I would have taken every shot I had at him, making him pay. “I thought I could change him, make him better. I was so foolish, so blind. He had this whole other life that I didn’t know about. He pulled me from my friends, my family. I had no one.”
“Didn’t you still work at the shop?” I ask, wondering how the guys didn’t see her pain.
“I did, but he hated me working with all the men, so I kept to myself. He used to stop in from time to time. At first, I thought it was because he couldn’t go the whole day without seeing me, but I came to realize he was just checking up on me, making sure I was following his orders.”
“Did he hit you often?” Fisting my hand on my leg, I realize how hard my voice must sound when she looks in my direction, eyes wide.
“Not at first. Then it seemed like I couldn’t do anything right and he started leaving marks where they weren’t visible.” She takes a deep, unsteady breath. I slide closer on the couch, putting my arm around her. She stiffens, then slowly relaxes as I rub her arm. “He turned very, um…rough in everything he did.”
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Did he force himself on you?”
“Cole, I can’t. This… It’s too much. You asked why I was scared when I saw him. I explained.” She puts her feet on the floor and straightens on the couch.
“J, you don’t know how much I want to hurt this guy. The fact he is in with the DiMarcos can’t be a coincidence. He has intimate details about the shop. Maybe we aren’t looking for someone on the inside. What if he’s the one doing all this?”
She puts her face in her hands, letting a sob escape. “This is my fault then. Why can’t he just leave me alone? I’ve fought so hard to get myself back, he can’t take it again. I won’t let him.” By the time she finishes, she is in a full-blown breakdown. I pull her to my side, letting her put her head on my chest.
Kissing the top of her head, I make a promise I will fight to keep. “That’s not going to happen. I will protect you, J.”
After sitting with J for a while, letting her cry it out, her sobs slowly turn into sniffles. She sits up and wipes her eyes and nose with her sleeve. When she looks at me, it feels like a vice tightens around my chest. Her face is a mess, her eyes and nose red from her tears, but she looks breathtaking. She looks down at my shirt.
“I’m sorry. Your shirt is soaked.”
“It’s fine. J, I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think we need to talk to Asher again. See what part Justin plays in this. I’ll text him on our way back to the shop.”
“Oh shit, I completely forgot. What time is it? We need to get back.”
“It’s only a little bit past the time when we needed to get back. Go clean up, then we can go.” We stand and I put my hands on her shoulders. “You are going to be okay, J. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for.” I pull her into a quick hug. She wraps her arms around me, holding on for a second.
She pulls away. “I’m not the same person I used to be. I know that, but Justin doesn’t. It’s what I have to keep telling myself. He may think he knows me, but he doesn’t…not anymore.” She turns and runs up to the bathroom.
“You are definitely a bad ass in my book!” I yell. I’m not sure how this changes things. Is this a sick little joke he’s playing with J, or is Justin part of something bigger? Fuck. I need to talk to Ash and figure this shit out.
When she comes back down the stairs, she looks calmer. “Let’s get back to it. I want to get this day over with.”
&nb
sp; I pull out my phone and start texting Ash. All I tell him is to call me because this is way too much for a fucking text message. As I put my phone back into my pocket, J speaks so softly, I can barely hear her.
“I want to be there.”
Confused, I look at her. “Be where?”
“When you talk to Asher about this. It’s about me. I deserve to be there.” She walks out the door and I follow.
“Jesus fucking Christ, J. Why do you need to be there?” I say as I close the door behind us. I can feel myself shaking my head the whole way to the Jeep.
After climbing in, she puts the key into the ignition. “Because it’s my fucking family they are messing with.”
I rub my hands over my face. I’m pretty sure this girl is seriously going to be the death of me.
Chapter Seventeen
J
“Bitch, your phone is ringing. Do you want me to answer?” Jules yells from my living room. I knew I should have brought it into the bathroom with me while I showered.
“Just let it ring,” I yell back as I quickly finish showering.
“Hello?… No, J is in the shower. It’s Jules… Oh, hello, Cole… No, we were just getting ready to head to the bar… Is everything okay?... I don’t mind at all.”
I come walking into the living room, one towel wrapped around my body and one around my hair. I hate hearing this one-sided conversation.
“The who brothers?… No, I don’t know what you are talking about.”
Shit. I walk closer to Jules. “Can I talk to him, please?” I hold my hand out.
She looks at me and shrugs. “Cole, J is here. Hang on.” She hands me the phone.
“Cole, what’s going on?” I say, looking over at Jules getting comfortable in the recliner.
“I thought you were going to tell her?”
“I was… I am.”
“Asher wants us at his house in less than an hour.”
Hell, what am I going to tell Jules about why we aren’t going out and why Cole has brought up the DiMarco brothers? I see the questions swimming in her eyes.
“I can’t.”
“J, you wanted this, remember? It’s your family, your shop, your life. I will be there to pick you up in twenty minutes.”
“Cole, wait. What about Jules?”
“What about her? Bring her. You obviously have some things to explain to her.”
Hanging my head, I know he is right. Damn it, I hate when he’s right. “We’ll be ready,” I say, realizing I am talking to dead air.
I hit the END button and look at Jules. I know that look. She’s waiting to pounce and get all the information she needs.
I turn and head for the bedroom. “Change of plans. We are going to Asher’s tonight.”
She follows me down the hall. “We’re going where? Who is Asher? And who the hell are those brothers Cole asked about?”
“Asher is Cole’s friend. We are going over to his house for a while. I’ll tell you about the DiMarco brothers later.”
She stands in the doorway to my room, her hands on her hips. “Why are we going to this Asher guy’s house?”
I rush around the bedroom, trying to get dressed as quickly as possible. I whip off the towel and put on a black bra and panties. I throw the towel off my head and start running a brush through my hair “Because… Well, just because. Just trust me. I will explain it all over there.”
“Fine, but let me blow your hair out. And you are wearing it down.”
“Cole will be here soon.”
“Then you’d better hurry your ass, bitch!” she yells, walking into the bathroom to get my blow dryer while I tug on a black tank top and jeans. Jules is going to be pissed when she finds out what’s going on. She wanted to kill Justin for what he put me through. When she finds out he’s back, she’s going to flip. Which is exactly why I didn’t tell her.
Jules finishes drying my hair as I hear the security buzzer ring. I run to the intercom box in the hall and push the button. “Hello?” Not so long ago, I would have just hit the door unlock button and not asked who was there.
“It’s me.”
I hit the button, unlock my front door, and grab my Chucks. I am sitting on the couch when he knocks twice on the door and opens it. “J?”
“I’m in here!” I yell.
“Ready?”
“Yeah. Let me get Jules. She was redoing her makeup.”
“Her makeup? We’re only going over to Asher’s.”
I shrug. If he knew Jules better, he would know she never leaves the house without her makeup on, hair done, and dressed to perfection. She always says you never know when you are going to meet the man of your dreams. You need to be prepared. Apparently, I am never going to meet my dream guy because I am never prepared.
Before I have to get her, Jules comes walking into the living room, looking like she’s going on a date. Her hair is redone, and her makeup looks flawless. She is just wearing jeans, but she looks beautiful. I see Cole take a second look at her, which pisses me off. Why should I care if he checks her out? I turned him down. I don’t know why it bothers me.
After arguing with Cole that Jules and I will follow him to Asher’s, I lost, which is why he’s driving. That man is so damn demanding and thick-headed. It drives me nuts.
Jules and Cole sit in the front, talking the entire way. Jules asks him about his life, his family, and his connection to Asher. He seems so open with her, it bothers me, but I don’t know why. I sit in the back, trying to figure out what Cole would have been like in high school. I wonder if he was always this standoffish or if that came after he was in prison.
“Bitch, you coming?” Jules stands in the driveway, looking into the passenger side door. Hell, I didn’t even realize we were here. Damn it. I need to get Cole out of my head.
“Yeah. Sorry,” I say, jumping out of the truck.
Cole knocks twice, then opens the door to the house, walking right in. I don’t know what I was expecting, but this place exceeds it. Asher lives in a ranch-style house just outside town. The sunken living room is gorgeous with dark reds and wood tones. I stand in the foyer and look around. From this spot, I can see into the modern kitchen. Wow! Asher’s place is amazing. I am completely jealous and embarrassed by my little tiny apartment.
Asher comes through the kitchen sliding glass door. “Oh, good. You’re here.” He walks up to me and grabs both of my shoulders, looking into my eyes. “Are you okay? Cole gave me the highlights of what happened.”
“Yeah. They just shocked me. That’s all.” Honestly, at this point, I don’t know if I am talking about the run-in with Justin or the sensitive side I saw of Cole.
“Why don’t you come in and we can talk about it,” he says, suddenly noticing Jules standing beside Cole. A small smile breaks out on his face. “I didn’t realize Cole was bringing a date to this little meeting.”
I inwardly cringe when I think about Cole and Jules dating. It makes my stomach flip.
“Funny,” Cole says, walking down the step and shaking Asher’s hand. “This is Julie Henderson, J’s best friend. Jules, this is Asher Thompson.”
Jules smiles and walks over. “You have a beautiful home, Asher.”
“Thanks, Julie.”
“Please, call me Jules.”
Watching the two of them, it looks like Jules is stuck in Asher’s gravitational pull.
“Would you like a tour?” he says, walking closer. He puts his hand on the small of her back as they walk down the hall.
Standing there watching them my mouth hanging open, seeing how he puts flirting with Jules ahead of having this conversation, it shows how important this little meeting is to him. What the hell?
Cole walks up to me. “Let’s go sit on the deck. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Water is fine. Shouldn’t we wait for Asher?”
“He won’t be long.”
I swear it sounds like Cole growls out the answer. What is that about?
Chapter Eighteen
Cole
What the hell is Asher doing? He knows how important this is. Yes, Jules is cute, but this is my life we are talking about here. I still have no idea how the hell DiMarco knows about my past. When I drop into the chair at the glass table on the deck, J sits across from me. She chews on her lip, looking around Asher’s property.
Asher’s family has more money than I think they can spend in two lifetimes. His father worked his way up in a granite company. When he took over managing the company at twenty-seven, he made a name for himself. When he purchased the company at thirty-two, he was unstoppable. Asher’s father expected him to be right by his side, taking over the company when he decided to retire. Asher had other plans. That was unacceptable to his father. If he would have chosen to go into the family business, the money would still be flowing. Since he decided to follow his dream of becoming a detective, Asher’s father considered him a black mark on an otherwise perfect family reputation. He was cut off.
Trust in Us (Forbidden Love Book 1) Page 11